A right-wing activist who founded an organisation focused on increasing Jewish presence in Jerusalem will be the head of the Finance Ministry’s rebooted Custodian of Absentee Property division, a powerful body responsible for managing Palestinian property in East Jerusalem, Haaretz reports.

Along with his activism for Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, the newly appointed Hananel Gurfinkel has in the past called for Arab students to be expelled from Haifa’s Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology, and publicly spoke against the “Arab occupation” of East Jerusalem.

Gurfinkel, a well-known figure among East Jerusalem residents, used his position to aid settler organisations seeking to control Palestinian-owned properties and promote new settlement projects in the city.

He facilitated the sale of land in the Silwan area to the pro-settler group Ateret Cohanim and hired attorneys affiliated with the group and other right-wing organisations to represent the state in eviction cases targeting Palestinian families.